Taking
a look at a few of the biggest storylines in the Eastern Conference this
season.
By
Marcus White
 |
| AP Images |
Last week, we took a look at the Western Conference’s biggest storylines going into the 2013-2014 season. We’ll be taking a look at the Eastern Conference this season, and the first area of discussion is the question that everyone in Pittsburgh is dying to know the answer to.
What
will happen to Marc-Andre Fleury?
Despite a reputation as a “clutch” goaltender earned on
performances in the 2008 and 2009 postseasons, respectively, Pittsburgh ‘tender
Marc-Andre Fleury has been anything but in the last four postseasons. In those
four years, Fleury’s goals against average hasn’t been below 2.50, nor has his
save percentage cracked the .900 mark. As a result, Pittsburgh’s only made it
past the second round once in the last four years, and that was only after head
coach Dan Bylsma turned to Tomas Vokoun to man the crease.
Although Vokoun outplayed Fleury, both Bylsma and General Manager
Ray Shero came out in support of Fleury this offseason. Each declared Fleury
the team’s number-one goalie. Fleury’s going to get every opportunity to prove
that he is the solution in Pittsburgh’s crease, especially now that Vokoun is out
following blood clot surgery.
But Fleury’s not going to be judged on his regular season
performance, where he’s had much more success than the playoffs in the last
four years. He’s solely going to be judged on his performance in the
postseason, and the Penguins are counting on him to rebound. If he doesn’t
regain his form from Pittsburgh’s last two Stanley Cup Finals appearances,
it’ll be another short postseason in the Steel City, and could very well be
Fleury’s last as a Penguin.
Who
will emerge in Toronto’s crease?
By all accounts, James Reimer had a solid year as the
Toronto Maple Leafs’ starting goaltender, posting a .924 save percentage and
2.46 GAA in 33 regular season games. He was crucial in helping Toronto stave
off elimination, posting back-to-back victories in Games five and six of the
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Despite this, Toronto GM Dave Nonis felt the need to find an
upgrade in goal, as the Leafs have been linked in deals to acquire goaltending
since last offseason. Eventually, Nonis decided on shipping backup goaltender
Ben Scrivens and young forward Matt Frattin to Los Angeles in exchange for
former 2006 first-rounder Jonathan Bernier. Bernier has been the subject of
immense hype since he was drafted, but has spent the last three years backing
up Jonathan Quick and playing in only 55 games over that span. Considering his
lack of experience and Reimer’s success, it’s a bit of an odd acquisition for
the Leafs.
The Bernier trade, and subsequent contract extension, will
become a true head-scratcher if Reimer is able to hold on to the starting job.
It could also leave Toronto in yet another salary cap crunch next offseason, as
Reimer, Phil Kessel, Cody Franson, and Dion Phanuef all become free agents. And
if Bernier becomes the starter? We could be looking at a Luongo/Schneider
situation on the opposite coast.
Are the
(soon-to-be Brooklyn) Islanders for real?
To the surprise of many last season, the New York Islanders
qualified for the playoffs as the eighth seed, giving the Pittsburgh Penguins
quite a scare in an intense six-game series. The Isles’ long rebuild looked
like it was finally starting to pay dividends.
The Islanders’ run to the playoffs was no fluke. This team
is loaded with young talent up front, led by 2013 Hart Trophy-finalist John
Tavares. And after adding veterans Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and
Peter Regin this offseason, the Islanders have solid depth up front. Losing
former Captain Mark Streit to the Flyers will hurt, but the Islanders have an
underrated group on the back-end. If their young defensemen continue to
improve, they’ll will be even better.
The Islanders’ biggest question mark lies in goal. Evgeni
Nabokov had a decent regular season for the club, but was far from it in the
postseason, managing to play worse than Marc-Andre Fleury in the series against
the Penguins. Competing for the back-up spot are youngsters Kevin Poulin and
Anders Nilsson, who have played a combined total of 25 games in the NHL. The
Isles need stability in net in order for their success to continue, otherwise
this talented group won’t be able to take the next step.
Can the
new-look Bruins make it back to the Final?
After being one minute and 16 seconds from forcing a Game 7
in the Stanley Cup Finals this past June, the Bruins made some major changes to
their roster. Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Andrew Ferrence, Wade Redden, Nathan
Horton, Jaromir Jagr and backup-goalie Anton Khudobin are gone, the former two
shipped to Dallas in the most talked about trade of the offseason, and the
latter six signing elsewhere as free agents.
GM Peter Chiarelli has filled these holes through internal
and external means. The Bruins acquired Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith and defense
prospect Joe Morrow in exchange for Seguin and Peverley, and signed Jarome
Iginla to a one-year deal. Eriksson, Iginla, Smith and late-season addition
Carl Soderberg look to have the edge on filling the spots vacated by Seguin,
Horton, Jagr, and Peverley. With Ferrence and Redden gone, Boston is a lot
younger on the back-end, as out-of-nowhere postseason hero Torey Krug and
sophomore Dougie Hamilton are expected to take big steps forward in their
development.
On paper, the Bruins are just as formidable as they were
last year. They’re solid in goal, with Vezina Trophy finalist Tuukka Rask
manning the crease, and have depth at just about every position. They have the
strongest roster in the Atlantic Division, and perhaps even the conference.
Don’t let the offseason makeover fool you: Boston is loaded and ready to make
another run at the Stanley Cup.
How
will Detroit and Columbus do in their first season in the East?
As we looked at how Winnipeg will do in a new conference in
Part One, it’s only natural that we do the same for the Columbus Blue Jackets
and Detroit Red Wings in Part Two of our NHL preview. The former Central
Division rivals are now in the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions,
respectively.
Both are coming off surprisingly successful seasons, as the
Jackets challenged for a playoff spot on the back of Vezina winner Sergei
Bobrovsky while Detroit upset the second-seeded Anaheim Ducks and took the
eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks to seven games in their last playoff run
in the West.
Both teams are improved, too. Detroit added Senators’ legend
Daniel Alfredsson and former Panther Stephen Weiss, bolstering their top six
forward group led by longtime-Wings Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.
The
Blue Jackets signed Nathan Horton and depth forward Jack Skille from Boston and
Florida, respectively, and likewise appear to be deeper up front. The strength
of both of these teams, however, is in goal. Jimmy Howard is Detroit’s stalwart
in net and is coming off of the best season of his career. As is Sergei
Bobrovsky, much to the chagrin of Philadelphia Flyers’ fans.
Unlike Winnipeg, Detroit and Columbus should do well in
their new divisions. Detroit should have no problem making the playoffs, and
could challenge Boston for the Atlantic Division title. Columbus will have a
tougher go in the Metropolitan, with four playoff teams from last year
(Capitals, Rangers, Islanders and Penguins) in their division, but they’ll be
in the playoff hunt at the very least. And if Bobrovsky plays as well as he did
last year?
It’s not out of the question that the Blue Jackets will be in the
playoffs for the first time since 2009.
